Clutch and gear for wringers



March l5, 1966 G. D. coNLEE 3,240,303

CLUTCH AND GEAR FOR WRINGERS Filed Jan. 20, 1964 5f if I-? INVENTOR. Genf CO/ZQ@ ATTO 1 EYS United States Patent O 3,240,303 CLUTCH AND GEAR FOR WRINGERS George D. Conlee, Cedar Falls, Iowa, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Lovell Manufacturing Company, Erre, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 338,857 1 Claim. (Cl. 192-20) T-his invention relates to improvements in a safety device for wringers of the type generally used on household washing machines, the wringer being driven by the washing machine motor, and the safety device being arranged so that the operator cannot leave the washing machine with the wringer rolls turning, although t-he agitating mechanism of the washing machine may remain in operation.

Heretofore, many and various types of safety devices for wringers have been developed, including ythe sro-called instinctive release mechanisms which would stop the rolls upon an instictive movement to jerk out a hand caught between the rolls, pressure release bars which might be pushed or pulled in order to release pressure between the rolls, and various types of roll stopping mechanism responsive to roll separation beyond a predetermined point. Regardless of the success of these formerly known safety devices, some accidents, particularly to children ignorant of the functioning of safety devices, continue to happen. This is particularly true in cases where the wringer is left unattendedwhile operating. Such is clearly attractive to a curious child and -there is danger of the child having a hand or arm or a portion of its clothing caught between turning wringer rolls. In order to cope with such situations, it has heretofore been proposed to use a foot pedal safety device whereby the washing machine and wringer remains in operation only so long as the operator depresses a pedal. Should the operator leave the machine and remove pressure from the pedal, the machine and the wringer rolls would stop. Devices of that character developed heretofore insofar as I am aware, actuated an electric switch which opened the circuit to the washing machine motor and stopped not only the wringer but also the entire washing machine. Such 4devices were in some occasions mechanical and some cases pneumatic, but they were objectionable due to the frequency with which contact points opened and closed, inability of the parts to withstand dampness, and because the operator was required to keep one foot in a certain place even when the wringer was not operating in order to keep the washing machine operating, and such proved a great inconvenience. Consequently, formerly known devices of this character were relatively short lived and awkard to use.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a simple form of safety control for washing machine wringers so arranged that if the wringer is in operation and the operator leaves the machine, the wringer rolls will be stopped but the washing machine may continue to operate.

Another object of the instant invention is the provision of a safety device for wringer rolls whereby the rolls are stopped should the operator leave the machine but which safety device may be totally ignored by the operator if t-he wringer rolls are not in operation, and it is only desired to have the washing machine operate.

It is also a feature of this invention to provide a safety device for washing machine wringer rolls which requires foot pressure by the operator to insure rotation of the rolls, and when such pressure is removed the rolls are automatically declutched from the drive means.

A further feature of this invention resides in the provision of a foot pedal type safety device governing the operation of washing machine wringer rolls, which device is not adversely affected by moisture, heat, and similar conditions prevailing in the vicinity.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary part elevational, part vertical sectional view illustrating the drive mechanism for a washing machine wringer equipped with a safety device embodying principles of the instant invention; and

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the clutching means incorporated in the instant invention.

As shown on the drawings:

The illustrated embodiment of the instant invention is shown mounted mainly upon a conventional washing machine transmission case 1 which, in a manner well known, contains the necessary gearing for driving the agita-ting mechanism of a washing machine. In this transmission case is a wringer drive gear 2 disposed around a bearing stub 3. In this instance, the wringer drive gear 2 is provided with an elongated hub 4 extending through a suitable opening in the transmission case upwardly around the lower end of a wringer post shaft 5. At the upper end thereof the hub 4 is provided with a series of spaced notches 6 alternating with upstanding projections 7 for driving engagement with a clutch 8.

With the instant invention, the post shaft 5 is provided with one or more longitudinal grooves 9 therein, and the j clutch 8 which surrounds the shaft 5 is provided with a key or spline 10 for each groove, whereby the clutch is drivingly connected to the shaft 5 and also slidable longitudinally of the shaft 5 by way of the splined connection therewith. The lower end of the clutch 8 is provided with alternating notches 11 and teeth or projections 12, complemental to those of the drive gear hub whereby driving engagement may be effected between the drive gear and clutch and in turn between the clutch and post shaft 5. The clutch is also provided with an annular groove 13 therein for engagement with actuating means.

The mechanism for operating the clutch includes an upstanding bar or post 14 fixed to the transmission case 1. A lever 15 is pivoted at one end thereof to the upper end of the post 14 as indicated at 16. The opposite end of the lever is pivoted as at 17 to a depending actuating -rod 18. This rod 18 extends through an external connecting ange 19 on the transmission casey 1 and disposed in confronting order is a cup-shaped washer 20 adjacent the lever 15 and a cup-shaped washer 21 seated on the flange 19, between which washers is disposed a compression spring 22 which constantly urges the outer end of the lever 15 upwardly to the position seen in FIG- URES l and 2. The lever 15 is provided with a laterally extending pin 23 disposed in the groove 13 of the clutch 8 whereby downward movement of the lever will slide the clutch into engagement with the drive gear and effect rotation of the shaft 5. This movement is effected by a foot treadle 24 pivoted as at 25 at one end to the lower end of the -actuating rod 18, and at the other end as indicated at 26 to a treadle base 27 disposable in any suitable location on the floor.

It will therefore be seen that when the operators foot is placed upon the treadle 24 to pull the lever 15 downwardly around the pivot 16 `against the action of the sp-ring 22, the clutch will become engaged with the drive gear and the post shaft 5 will accordingly be rotated. When foot pressure on the treadle plate is removed, the spring 22 pushes the lever upwardly and declutches the post shaft from the drive gear.

The upper end of the post shaft 5 is connected in a conventional manner by means of a crosspin 28 riding opposed slots 29 in a cylindrical coupling pinned as at 31 to a wringer head shaft 32, so as to drive conventional clutch and gearing in the wringer head. Disposed in the head, in a known manner `is a clutch 33 splined to and slidable along the head shaft 32 for engagement with either a reverse drive gear 34 or a forward drive gear 35 which are loose upon the shaft 32, and both of which are in engagement with a wringer gear 36 connected to the shaft 37 of a lower wringer roll 38. As seen in FIGURE 1, the head clutch 33 is in engagement with the reverse drive gear 34 to rotate the lower wringer roll 38 in reverse direction. As is known in the art, the clutch 33 is shifted to neutral position or to engagement with either of the gears 34 and 35 by a directional shift lever at the will of the operator. It is also we ll known in the art that an upper wringer roll will also be rotated by virtue of pressure contact with the surface of the lower wringer roll.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a simple form of safety device for washing machine wringers, whereby the operator need only keep his or her foot upon a treadle during operation of the wringer, land if the operator leaves the washing machine with the wringer running, it will promptly be automatically declutched. The operator need not apply foot pressure on the treadle when the wringer is not in use in order to use the washing machine since the wringer safety device does not have yany relationship or connection with the power supply to the washing machine. Accordingly, when the wringer is not in use, the operator is free to move about the washing machine wherever desired, since it remains in operation. The instant invention therefore not only allows the operator more freedom of movement but also eliminates costly repairs by virtue of frequently opening and closing contacts in the electric supply line while the wringer is under load. Moreover, the instant structure is simple in operation, few in parts, highly durable, and is not aifected by heat moisture and the like.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be elfected without depart-ing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

In a safety drive mechanism for a power washer wringer,

a transmission case,

a drive gear therein,

a clutch engageable hub on said gear projecting through said caser,

a wringer drive shaft extending freely into said hub,

a clutch sp1-ined to and movable `along said shaft into and out of driving engagement with said hub,

a lever pivotally connected at one end to said transmission case and intermediately with said clutch,

an outward flange on said transmission case,

-a rod depending from the other end of said lever and extending through said flange,

a compression spring between said flange and said -other end of said lever urging the lever upwardly to hold the clutch in disengaged position, and

a foot treadle connected to the lower end of said rod, whereby sustained foot pressure on said treadle overcomes said spring and holds the clutch in engaged position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 178,500 6/'1876 Wuterick 192--67 243,367' 6/1881 Fowler 192-67 794,227' 6/ 1905 Jenny 192-20 1,543,106 6/ 1925 Howe.

DAVID I. WILLYIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. 

